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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. drill — a practice
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. drill — army training
  7. face — to confront
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a skill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com